Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will appear in at least 10 campaign rallies organised by the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party nationwide in the lead-up to the May 14 election, the party said.
From Friday, Gen Prayut, the party's chief strategist, will hit the campaign trail taking in at least 10 locations around the country, starting with Bangkok, according to UTN secretary-general Akanat Promphan.
The premier, also the UTN's No.1 prime ministerial candidate, will make the most of the election canvassing period as it enters the final stretch.
During the Songkran festival, people can expect to see Gen Prayut swap his work uniforms for colourful festival outfits as he participates in fun-filled activities, Mr Akanat said.
The UTN secretary-general took the party's MP candidate for Bangkok's Constituency 3 on a canvassing campaign at Rung Charoen Market, where he sought blessings from the elderly to mark National Elderly Day on Thursday. Constituency 3 covers Bang Kho Laem and Yannawa districts.
Mr Akanat said the UTN stands behind its promise to replace the progressive rate of paying the elderly allowance with a flat rate of 1,000 baht a month. With the new rate, the elderly would receive a bigger allowance, he said.
He added he had told party candidates to be wary of the strict election rules against live entertainment, which cannot be organised to woo voters. The Election Commission (EC) has advised parties to play their pre-recorded campaign song at rallies rather than have their MP candidates sing it to the audience.
During Songkran, parties and their candidates are free to join in the festival, although they must not sponsor or organise live entertainment or hand out free gifts.
Catchy tune
The ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) released a new single on Thursday with a catchy tune to sum up its election campaign highlights.
The party leader, Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, wants the song to be an entertaining platform for voters of all ages.
The 3.41-minute single will be played at campaign rallies nationwide. It comes with a music video depicting the PPRP candidates and executives from across generations united in their commitment to achieving progress.
The lyric hammers home the message of Gen Prawit's "will that drives a force" to implement campaign policies, from overcoming social and political conflicts to beating poverty and installing water irrigation, and granting land to landless farmers.
Budget blues
The Democrat Party has questioned the practicality of some budget-intensive campaign promises being floated to woo voters after receiving word about state funds that will made available to the next government for financing such projects.
The party has explained to the EC in writing its plan to finance election campaign promises, Democrat leader Jurin Laksanawisit said.
The party has informed the commission in detail as to where the money to oil the projects will come from.
The Democrats' economic team earlier proposed financing its economic policy using 1 trillion baht drawn from unspent funds kept by various state agencies.
Kiat Sitthi-amorn, a member of the party's economic team, has said that if the money is drawn from unspent funds, there would be no need to take out a loan to cover it. The money could also be raised through issuing bonds, he added.
On Thursday, Mr Jurin said he had asked the central bank, the National Economic and Social Development Council and the Budget Bureau about the budget issue and was told there would be no more than 200 billion baht left in the state coffers to pay for the next government's economic measures.
The Democrat leader said if parties pledged to splurge on populist policies costing 400-500 billion baht, it would be hard to imagine how the next government would earn enough funds to take on such spending.
The main opposition Pheu Thai Party recently found itself in hot water over its controversial campaign policy for a 10,000-baht digital money giveaway, estimated to cost around 500 billion baht.
Critics doubt whether the party would realistically be able to raise enough money from various sources to drive the project.
Clean-air act
The Move Forward Party (MFP) has laid out a long list of air-cleaning measures in its election campaign initiative.
Among the proposed measures is a push to have the draft bills on clean air and on the restricted movement of toxic substances enacted within a month of taking office.
Nitipol Phewmoh, an MFP former list-MP and environmental advocate, said the lingering haze pollution is hurting tourism in major provinces in the North, such as Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
Apart from a push for the bills, the party also wants to grant a bush fire prevention budget of 3 million baht to each tambon, ban imported products made as a result of forest burning, offer vehicle engine checks free of charge, provide free respiratory check-ups for residents in the upper North -- which is most affected by the dust pollution with paid -- including travel expenses to the check-up venues, and prepare pollution-safe zones for children.
